Arkansas Blog

Public wart

Something there is that doesn't love public art in Arkansas. In Little Rock, vandals tore apart the painted pigs that were placed at various public spots, a project inspired by successful installations in Chattanooga and Chicago.

Fayetteville has its own share of vandals, too. The Walton Arts Center has had to remove six sculptures on the Arts Center's grounds after two were damaged to the tune of $6,000.

"The artist's work will never be the same," Walton's vice president of programs, Jenni Taylor Swain, said in a press release. "We cannot ensure the safety of these pieces and have therefore decided to remove them for safe-keeping."

The exhibit, "I-540 Flowers: Cultivating the Northwest Arkansas Neighborhood," includes sculptures on seven sites along the interstate from Fayetteville north to Rogers. Those will remain up, and the indoor portion of the exhibit will remain up through August at the Arts Center.

UPDATE: The photo above was sent to us by the Walton Arts Center. It shows the sculpture "Bayou Arrow," which was knocked over, cracking its "flower" part.

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